Until a few years ago, daily technology was made of physical, noisy, bulky and often little practical objects. Yet, without those devices that have now disappeared from our desks and pockets, we would never have reached the fluid and connected digital world in which we live today. In this article we make a sort of small dip in the recent past of the tech world, reviewing 7 technologies that have made history and that are now no longer used (or almost). All these had a significant impact on the way we communicated, we listened to music, we watched films and interacted with the world and that today they became memorabilia for collectors or for incurable nostalgic.
7 technological inventions that we no longer use
VHS
The VHSor Video Home Systemit was the home standard for the viewing of films from the 80s until the early 2000s. It was plastic boxes containing magnetic tape, to be inserted in video recorders Large and often bulky. The quality of the images was far from today’s standards, and the ribbons were subject to deterioration. Restoning the tape was a necessity, under penalty of the frustration of the next spectator. Today, with streaming that allows immediate access to thousands of titles, the VHS is relegated to the past, even if it retains a certain retro charm for collectors.
Floppy disk
THE floppy diskin particular the 3.5 -inch ones, for many years the main support for the storage and transfer of data have been for many years. Their ability is extremely limited: just 1.44 MB of dataless than a single high resolution photos today. Some software arrived on dozens of disk. The advent of USB key and, later, of the Cloud storagemade these obsolete supports. Today they are mostly museum curiosities (to be honest, there are some companies that still use them) and their memory survives in the icon of the rescue of many software, which is inspired by the dear old Floppy.
Readers of boxes and cds
THE cassette readers he is CD readers They represented two fundamental stages in listening to music. The boxes contained audio on magnetic tape and required manual rewinding – often using a pencil – to return at the beginning. The transition to the CD has significantly improved the audio quality, but introduced the problem of interruptions: portable readers, such as the Discman Of Sony, they easily jumped if moved too much. Both were put aside by MP3 readers before and from smartphone Then: the latter today can reproduce infinite songs thanks to the streaming platforms.
Adobe Flash Player
Adobe Flash Player The standard for the reproduction of multimedia content online has been for over a decade: games, animations, videos, etc. It was slow, hungry for resources and subject to security flaws. With the evolution of HTML5 And other safer and more efficient web technologies, Flash Player has been gradually abandoned until its official disposal took place 31 December 2020. It remains in the memories (or in the nightmares, do you) of those who lived the golden age of the games via browser.
Fax
The fax (or telephaxfrom “Facsimile”), allowed to send paper copies of documents via telephone line. It was widespread in the offices until the 2000s. It worked scanning a document, transmitting it via cable and printing it on the receiving side. It was useful, but vulnerable to the jokes: it was enough to send black pages to dry up the recipient’s toner. Today it has been supplanted by e-mail and services of digital signaturebut some companies (also public), still accept documents via fax.
Phones in Rotella
THE Phones in Rotellawith their characteristic numerical disc, were one of the first domestic communication tools. Desuring a number was a slow, mechanical action and required precision. Were replaced in the 80s by Toni phonesfaster and rich in functions such as the “Mute” and the “automatic recomposition” button. With the advent of smartphonenot only Rotella phones, but fixed phones in general have become extinction objects. Some vintage models are still sought after as pieces of design or memorabilia.
Cell phones at keys
Finally, i cell phones at keyslike the iconic BlackBerryrepresented an era in which writing a message required skills and a not indifferent muscle memory. The advent ofiPhone by Apple the June 29, 2007 and the consequent consecration of the touchscreen technology He made physical keyboards superfluous. Although some keys models resist in niche markets for their simplicity and battery life, touchscreen smartphones have completely redefined the concept of mobile phone, integrating functions first distributed on many distinct devices.
